


A Lone Narrow Bunk

by Rosawyn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awkward Boners, Bickering, Blushing Dean Winchester, Cabins, Castiel and Dean Winchester Holding Hands, Castiel/Dean Winchester Flirting, Confessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cuddling Castiel/Dean Winchester, Friends to Lovers, Horseback Riding, Horses, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Neck Kissing, Sharing a Bed, Stranded, Wilderness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28639626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosawyn/pseuds/Rosawyn
Summary: Dean and his friends are enjoying a trail ride when a sudden downpour urges them all to seek shelter in a remote cabin.  With the rain not letting up, it looks like they're stuck for the night in this drafty little cabin that doesn't even have adequate floorspace for everyone to sleep.  Two people might have to share the bed, as tiny as it is.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 94
Collections: Dean/Cas Tropefest 2021 Mid-Winter 5k





	A Lone Narrow Bunk

The cabin comes into view just as the rain starts in earnest. It's been a bit overcast all day with some light teasing sprinkles, but now it's just coming down in sheets as they all scramble to get their horses tied under the largest pine trees and grab their saddlebags.

Sam with his unfairly long legs reaches the door first and opens it, calling out, “Hello? Anyone there?” into the darkness as if it isn't perfectly obvious no one's been here in decades.

Dean shoulders past him because Dean is cold and the way his shirt is sticking to his skin feels awful.

Not only is the place empty, but it's just literally one room. There's a wood stove and a lone narrow bunk, a couple of sad-looking chairs, and a single window so dirty only a faint bit of light gets through. “Huh,” Dean comments. “Not even a bathroom.”

“Outhouse out back,” Benny says as he comes in followed by drenched and morose versions of Castiel and Kevin. “Though I'm not sure I'd trust it.”

“Yeah, if anyone needs to take a shit,” Dean advises, “just use a log like we've been doing on the trail.” Sam makes a face at that, and Dean raises his eyebrows, asking, “You'd rather fall in?”

“Let's get a fire started,” Benny suggests. “See if we can get dried off and maybe have some supper.”

o0o

“Thanks,” Dean says, accepting the flask from Benny and taking a swig before handing it to Castiel. Benny—as a surprise to probably no one—is skilled at using wood stoves, so they've got a cheery warm light to huddle around as they eat. They've got their damp shirts and soggy hats hanging wherever they could find a spot. The chair Dean's in has his shirt hooked on one side of the back and Castiel's on the other. Good thing everyone had a dry shirt in their saddlebags, since even with the fire going the cabin isn't exactly warm. The door doesn't fit right—not anymore, anyway. Settling's a bitch. And the ill-fitting door might not be the only source of drafts, but it's the biggest.

Kevin coughs on the liquor when it's his turn, and Sam claps him on the back saying, “Yeah, it burns.”

“Never had whisky before, Kev?” Dean asks. He flexes his toes on the dusty bare wood floor, feet almost comfortable in a nice dry pair of socks. They've all lined their boots up next to the door with their damp socks hanging over the tops to air out.

Kevin blinks a few times but manages a crooked little grin as he passes the flask back to Benny. “Not sure I'll ever have it again.”

Benny laughs. “That's fair.” He takes a swig and makes a face at the flask. “It's not the best whisky.”

“Well, it's not the worst either,” Dean says, taking another swig himself and passing the flask to Castiel. “I've had...” He frowns, tilting his head a bit from side to side. “...at least five different whiskies that were worse.”

“You need to stop drinking shit whisky,” Castiel comments, taking a swallow of the whisky himself before passing it on.

Dean rolls his eyes. “Oh right, like you drink the good stuff.”

Castiel spreads his hands. “I mostly drink with you.”

“Yeah, well,” Dean says, giving Castiel a nudge, “next time you buy.”

“So, uh,” Sam says, “what are we doing about sleep tonight, anyway?” He shakes damp-looking hair off his forehead.

Dean flicks his eyebrows. “Sure not sleeping under the stars tonight—or at least, I'm not.”

“The rain doesn't seem to be letting up,” Kevin puts in.

“It does not,” Benny agrees.

“There's really...” Sam observes, looking about the small room, “not a lot of floor-space in here.”

“There is a bed,” Benny points out, nodding to where Castiel is seated on the end of it.

It didn't have any bedding, not that anyone would really have been too excited to use some stranger's old sheets. They have their bed rolls, though, and what passes for a mattress on that narrow bunk is undoubtedly a bit more comfortable than the floor. Might even be more comfortable than the ground, even when it's dry. Still, Dean snorts in amusement. “Not much of one.”

Sam smiles wryly. “Yeah, I think about half of me would fit on that.”

Benny chuckles, considering the bed. “About half of me, too, I think.”

“A different half,” Dean points out, just to see Benny flip him off. Dean grins, nodding toward Kevin. “Give Kevin the bed.” Dean takes another swing from Benny's flask, adding, “It's about his size.”

Kevin rolls his eyes but says, “That's fine; I don't mind sleeping on the bed while the rest of you are on the floor.”

o0o

“Okay, so, uh, there isn't enough room,” Sam points out, putting his hands on his hips and looking around the room as if maybe he's missed some key piece of floor-space somewhere. They're trying to lay out bedrolls, and they've already stuck the chairs and stump-stools they used for supper out on the porch. They'd take the kitchen cupboards out, but they're a bit too attached and no one thought to bring a crowbar. And Sam really is just so damn _tall_. “I'm not gonna risk burning myself on the stove,” Sam adds. “Or starting a fire.”

“Not it,” Dean comments, “but one of us could technically sleep out on the porch.”

Sam winces. “That would be...”

“Unpleasant,” Castiel supplies. They've currently got all their saddles in a haphazard line along the porch rail, sheltered from the rain. The porch would be dry, certainly, but the smell of horse sweat and damp leather would be rather strong.

Sam raises his brows. “Cold, if nothing else.” Which is also a fair point.

“Would we fit if Castiel or Dean took the bed?” Kevin asks, looking from the bed to the mess of half-placed bedrolls. “Because I really don't mind.”

Sam winces, looking about again, considering. “I don't think we'd even fit that way. Maybe if we were all as small as Kevin, but even then.” He worries his lip, shaking his head.

“We could always stack people,” Dean jokes.

“As intentionally ridiculous as that suggestion is,” Sam counters, “we are trying to avoid the bad future where someone touches the stove during the night and gets injured or burns the cabin down, and stacking people wouldn't even help.”

“Two of us could share the bed,” Castiel points out. “If we laid on our sides, we should fit.” He considers the bed, frowning. “If just barely.”

“So who's volunteering to cuddle?” Sam asks. “I think both Benny and I already called not it.”

“Yeah, no offence, but...” Dean says, considering the bed once again then looking back at Sam and then Benny, “there wouldn't even be room for Kevin on here with one of you.”

“Is the running joke of this whole night going to be that I'm small?” Kevin asks.

“Well, Benny and I are huge,” Sam points out. “And apparently when you're trying to fit everyone safely in this one cabin for the night...”

“Size matters,” Benny fills in.

“Okay, well,” Dean suggests, rubbing at his nose, “since Cas and I are the normal-sized people, we take the bed—assuming we both fit—and the rest of you aberrations Tetris with yourselves on the floor.”

“And you're sure you can...” Kevin asks, looking the bed over dubiously, “both fit?”

“Well, let's see.” Dean dumps the rest of the saddlebags off the bed and he and Castiel lie down on their sides, both facing away from the wall. “Well.” Dean laughs. “It's certainly not the most relaxing or comfortable. But I think it's still a few steps up from bumping into that wood stove.”

“You've got at least six inches between your bodies,” Sam points out. “Maybe you'd be more comfortable if you actually...touched each other.”

Shooting Sam a glare, Dean sits up. “One thing I don't need is cuddling advice from my baby brother.”

Benny laughs, shaking his head. “Would you take it from me? 'Cause I agree with him.”

Dean shoots Benny a glare as well. “Let's just see how well all of you do situating yourselves before we decide who needs advice on sleeping positions.”

Raising his brows, Benny steps away from the wall and spreads his hands a bit. “I just don't want anyone falling off the bed.”

Dean flicks his eyebrows at Benny. “Yeah, well, just make sure you're the one right here.” He gestures to the space in front of the bed. “Then when I fall off, I'll land on you and then you and I can cuddle.”

Benny smirks. “Sounds like a dream come true, Dean.”

o0o

“You can't budge back any farther?” Dean grouses as he tries to lie down for real. Everyone's taken a good long piss off the porch into the falling rain, the horses are good for the night, and Benny's assured everyone that he's got the fire set up to keep them warm until morning. Sam and Benny and Kevin are settling into what actually seem to be reasonably comfortable positions on the floor with no one in any apparent danger of coming into contact with the stove so long as none of them decides to do an unreasonable amount of flailing about. Sam got a bit wet again running out to check on the horses, but all told it seems like they're set for a pretty decent night. Except the bed really is narrow, and Dean's pretty sure there's at least an inch or two between Castiel and the wall.

“Well, I _could_ ,” Castiel replies, “but it would be very uncomfortable because of how the frame is.”

Dean grimaces. “Right; I've got that on my side too, so unfortunately I know exactly what you mean.” It's some kind of ridge meant to keep the mattress from sliding off, apparently. Might make some small scrap of sense on a top bunk, but this thing's barely a foot and a half off the floor. Where's the mattress even gonna go?

“Here.” Castiel actually moves _closer_ to Dean, sliding one hand around to press against Dean's chest and pull him closer against Castiel's body.

“Uh.” Dean's face heats.

“Is this all right?” Castiel asks. “I just want us both to be comfortable.”

Sam snickers from across the room, and Dean shoots a glare in that direction.

“I could switch with you, Dean,” Kevin offers. “If that would help.”

“No, because then I'd have to cuddle with Sam,” Dean shoots back, even though the main reason is that he's just too damn _tall_ to fit in the spot of floor Kevin's using. “The only reason you don't have to right now is that you're tiny.”

“I'm not _that_ much smaller than you,” Kevin points out.

Dean rolls his eyes. “Look, just butt out. If the three of you are comfortable and think you can sleep, just get on with it.”

“We'd sleep if the two of you would quiet down,” Benny drawls.

“Hey,” Dean shoots back. “I seem to recall both you and Sam vetoing the idea of trying to sleep on this awful thing on account of the both of you being enormous. It's not even Cas that's the problem, for the record. It's this bed frame. It's just...stupid. Very uncomfortable.”

“You could always try stacking,” Sam says, “like you suggested before.”

“You probably can't see me in the dark,” Dean tells Sam, “but I'm flipping you off right now.”

“Oh, I can imagine it quite vividly,” Sam replies with a grin in his voice.

“Dean might not be as tall as some of us,” Benny comments, “but he's pretty solidly-built; he might just crush poor Cas.”

“So have Cas on top,” Sam says. “He's at least...a little smaller.” He is in fact not that much smaller.

“I swear to _God_ , Sammy!” Dean lets out an exasperated breath. “You and I are never going to have a conversation with these words in it. That is not a reality that exists.”

Benny chuckles and says, “Not quite how either of you two imagined ending up in bed together, huh?”

“Benny,” Dean says, “I will punch you in the face.” Benny just chuckles again, and Dean heaves an exasperated sigh. Much quieter he says, “Cas, can we turn over?”

It's a bit awkward, there being no way to adjust their positions without rubbing all over each other unless they actually want to fall off the bed. But they do manage to get turned so they're both facing the wall. And this is kind of better because now all anyone could see in the flicker of the firelight is Dean's back. He can wrap his arm around Castiel and put his hand in the middle of Castiel's chest without worrying that anyone will catch a glimpse and think it's funny. Or gay. Or funny because it's gay.

Dean shifts a little closer, not like creepy close with his crotch grinding against Castiel's ass or anything, but like...nice close? Dean murmurs quietly so only Castiel should be able to make it out, “Comfortable?”

Shifting just slightly back against Dean, Castiel replies in an equally quiet murmur, “Enough to sleep, I think.”

After a beat or two, Dean asks, “Warm enough?” They have a couple blankets but the cabin is still drafty as all hell. “Because we could switch places so you're closer to the fire.”

Pressing his back into Dean's chest, Castiel replies, “I should be all right. You're keeping me warm.” After a beat, Castiel adds, “Unless you're too warm?”

“No, no,” Dean says as his cheeks heat. “Uh, I'll be fine.”

The heat from the stove is bordering on uncomfortably hot through the blanket against Dean's back, but the heat from Castiel's body is warm and pleasant against Dean's front. There's a bit of chilly draft nipping at the tops of Dean's ears, but if he tilts his head just right then the tip of his nose stays warm in the little bubble of air bracketed in between their shoulders and the back of Castiel's neck. Castiel's hair smells like sweat and the forest because it's been a few days since any of them have been near a shower, and rain doesn't count.

Dean can imagine a lot of ways he'd rather be sleeping. A nice big bed, clean sheets. Actual comfortable pj's instead his jeans. A convenient thermostat keeping the room at a constant pleasant temperature.

Being alone doesn't enter that picture.

The beat of Castiel's heart is steady and reassuring under Dean's palm.

Castiel puts his hand over Dean's as though to keep it there and makes a quiet little contented sound, and Dean is so damn glad he's got his back blocking everyone's view of this. The blankets don't feel nearly opaque enough, even in the dark.

As much as Dean loves Sam and Benny and Kevin, he'd rather they all be somewhere else right now.

o0o

Dean blinks awake at some point when it's still quite dark, and after a brief moment of disorientation remembers where he is and why he's pressed so firmly against Castiel's solid body. The sounds of rain still pound incessantly against the cabin. Just as it's been since the sun went down, the only light is the orange glow peeking through the vents in the wood stove.

Castiel shifts against Dean's chest, making a sleepy questioning sound.

“S'okay, Cas,” Dean murmurs. “Pretty sure it's still the middle of the night.”

Groaning, Castiel shifts again and, uh, maybe he needs to be a bit more careful about how he's doing that since they're still in the room with everyone else and Dean really does not need to be popping any boners at the moment. “Think I need to roll over,” Castiel rasps.

“Yeah, sure,” Dean says, because obviously this is gonna need to be a team effort thing like it was last time. This stupid bed is honestly barely big enough for one grown adult. The bed creaks a bit as they get re-situated, but thankfully none of the other three people in the room stir or make any sounds of waking. Dean tugs the blanket up over his shoulder and tucks his chin in towards his chest. Even if they are all deeply asleep, Dean's not really sure he likes facing them again.

“Good?” Castiel asks, one hand hesitantly resting against Dean's chest.

“Yeah.” Dean puts his own hand over Castiel's. Chuckling nervously and cheeks heating a bit, Dean adds, “In a bigger bed and without the, uh, peanut gallery, this might actually be nice.”

Castiel tugs Dean tighter against his chest. The breath from his soft laugh teases at Dean's hair. “We'll have to try it that way sometime.”

Dean's lips pull into a crooked grin. “You hitting on me, Cas?”

“Would you mind so much if I was?”

Dean bites his lip. “For the record,” he says, heart hammering in his chest so no doubt Castiel can feel it, “I'd much rather be having this conversation without the rest of these jokers in the room, even if they are all currently asleep, but, uh...actually no.” A quiet, breathless laugh. “I would not, uh, mind.” With a pleased rumble, Castiel presses a kiss to Dean's neck, and Dean shudders then blinks and winces, hissing, “You know they _are_ all still in the room?”

“They are asleep,” Castiel reasons.

“And any one of them could wake up at any moment,” Dean counters. He lets out a frustrated breath and adds, “Look, Cas, I think I'd like very much one day to kiss you in front of all of them.” An image of himself and Castiel in nice suits with flowers on their lapels standing at the front of a church springs immediately to mind, and Dean blushes so deep his head spins. “But, uh, can the first time be private?”

Pressing his hand more surely over Dean's heart, Castiel rumbles, “I suppose we could arrange that.”

And fuck, now Dean does have a boner. His brother is in the room, for God's sake. Dean tries his damnedest to will it down. Weakly he says, “I'd kinda hoped to go back to sleep.”

“Am I preventing that?” Castiel asks, voice edged with a worried frown.

“Guess we'd have to, uh, stop talking,” Dean suggests.

Castiel makes a noncommittal hum. Pressing his nose into Dean's neck he nuzzles a bit into Dean's hair saying, “I suppose we would.”

Dean swallows roughly, squeezing his eyes shut. “I swear to God, Cas.”

“I apologize,” Castiel says, pulling back a bit—which is probably as far as he can, considering the extremely limited space.

Linking his fingers with Castiel's, Dean presses their joined hands ever tighter against his chest. He feels far too keyed up to sleep any time soon, but he can't get out of bed without stepping on Benny so he's kind of stuck until morning. But it's fine. Dean can lie here with Castiel's warm solid weight pressed against his back and Castiel's gentle breath teasing against his neck and wait for his stupid boner to calm the hell down. It should be enough boner-deterrent that Sam's big stupid gangly sleeping body is in the room. Dean can even pick out the vague shape of Sam's sleeping form in the darkness if he looks, not that he currently really wants to.

“Yeah, uh, next time, Cas,” Dean mutters, clearing his throat as quietly as he possibly can, “we're definitely doing this in private.”

Cas chuckles warmly and rubs his cheek against Dean's shoulder, rough stubble prickling just a little through the material of Dean's shirt. “Good.”


End file.
